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Senior Management Team

Through their collective experience and shared commitment to excellence, our senior management team contributes to the strategic and operational long-term success of VON Canada.

Jo-Anne Poirier

President and CEO

Jo-Anne joined VON Canada in 2014 with more than 30 years of experience in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Before VON, she was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ottawa Community ...read more

Jo-Anne joined VON Canada in 2014 with more than 30 years of experience in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Before VON, she was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ottawa Community Housing Corporation. Under her leadership, Ottawa Community Housing received several awards for excellence, including the 2011 award for Non-Profit Organization of the Year under the Business Achievement Awards of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce.

Previous to this, Jo-Anne was Vice-President, Resource Development and CEO of the Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign for United Way Ottawa, First Vice-President, Business Development for MBNA Canada Bank, and Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services with the City of Gloucester.

Jo-Anne is actively involved in the community and serves on several boards of directors. Currently, she is Second Vice-Chair on the board of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and the Vice-Chair of the City of Ottawa Board of Health.

Jo-Anne has earned several awards for her dedication to community, including the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. She was also named CEO of the Year – Community Sector (Dirigeante de l’année, Secteur Communautaire) in 2012 by the Regroupement des gens d’affaires de la capitale nationale or RGA. RGA is an association of more than 600 French-speaking business leaders and entrepreneurs in Ottawa and Gatineau, Quebec.

Sharon Goodwin

Senior Vice President, Home & Community Care

With her extensive background in health care, nursing and health informatics, Sharon recently led the transformation of VON’s home care service delivery in Ontario. This initiative created mo...read more

With her extensive background in health care, nursing and health informatics, Sharon recently led the transformation of VON’s home care service delivery in Ontario. This initiative created more value for our clients by streamlining processes and introducing point-of-care technologies. Sharon also oversaw the development of the VON’s information systems vision and plan. Prior to VON, Sharon was Ontario Director of Operations for Clinidata Corporation, where she pioneered Telehealth Ontario, a new telephone nurse advice service for Ontario.

Sharon is a Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner and was influential in integrating the Nurse Practitioner role into Ontario’s health care system in the mid-1990s. Originally a graduate of Algonquin College, she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Nurse Practitioner certificate from Laurentian University and a Masters in Nursing from Athabasca University. Sharon just recently completed her Doctorate in Health Administration from the University of Phoenix. Over her career, she has received several awards for both her academic and business achievements.

Sharon is a member of the board of the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA), and serves as treasurer on the board of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI). Previously, she was a member of the Board of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and chaired its interest group for Nurse Practitioners.

Beth Green

Vice President, Marketing, Communications & Philanthropy

Beth joined VON Canada in 2014, bringing more than 25 years of experience in marketing, public affairs, and brand strategy to her role. Most recently, Beth was Vice President Communications and Mar...read more

Beth joined VON Canada in 2014, bringing more than 25 years of experience in marketing, public affairs, and brand strategy to her role. Most recently, Beth was Vice President Communications and Marketing at United Way Ottawa, where she led a successful project to reposition its brand. Prior to that, she was Senior Vice President and Practice Leader, Communications at one of Canada’s leading public affairs firms, and Acting Vice President, Communications and Director, National Media Relations for a major Canadian telecommunications alliance.

Beth serves on the board of the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre Foundation, which is working to build a residential treatment facility for youth with addictions in Ottawa. She is a past president of the Ottawa chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and has earned several national and international awards for her work.

Michele Lawford

General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer

Michele Lawford joined VON Canada in 2017. She holds a Masters in Health Law from Osgoode Law School and a J.D. in Law from Queen’s University. Michele is currently a Director of the Kingston...read more

Michele Lawford joined VON Canada in 2017. She holds a Masters in Health Law from Osgoode Law School and a J.D. in Law from Queen’s University. Michele is currently a Director of the Kingston Health Sciences Centre and a member of the hospital’s Patient Care and Quality Committee. She is a former Director of the Elizabeth Fry Society and Humewood House, in Toronto. Michele practiced competition law and commercial litigation for over fifteen years in Toronto at two Bay Street firms. She has consulted for many years in the healthcare sector for local boards of health, public hospitals and community health agencies. Michele has been a Vice Chair of the Health Services Appeal and Review Board, Health Professions Appeal and Review Board and a Senior Lawyer with the Consent and Capacity Board. Michele is a former Special Assistant (Legislative) to the Attorney General of Ontario. She has been the lawyer member for several Research Ethics Boards reviewing human clinical trials at the University of Toronto.

Brian Lyons

Vice President, Information Technology & Services

Brian Lyons, a senior information technology leader with more than 25 years of experience in the home health care and telecommunications sectors joined VON Canada in 2014. He has a proven track rec...read more

Brian Lyons, a senior information technology leader with more than 25 years of experience in the home health care and telecommunications sectors joined VON Canada in 2014. He has a proven track record of engaging stakeholders to create and deliver business solutions that improve efficiencies and decrease costs.

Prior to VON, Brian was Vice President of Information Technology at We Care Health Services. During his tenure, he transformed the organization by introducing clinical mobility systems and remote patient monitoring services, establishing We Care Health Services as a technology leader.

Brian earned an MBA from the Ivey School of Business and Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick.

Jon Rebick

Vice President, Human Resources

Jonathan Rebick joined VON as the Vice President, Human Resources in March 2018. He brings almost 20 years of human resources, labour relations and operational experience from the Broader Public Se...read more

Jonathan Rebick joined VON as the Vice President, Human Resources in March 2018. He brings almost 20 years of human resources, labour relations and operational experience from the Broader Public Sector, most recently as the Vice-President, Provincial Lines and Forestry at Hydro One Networks Inc. Prior to that role, Jon held a number of executive positions at Hydro One including Vice-President, Strategic Planning and Vice-President, Employee and Labour Relations. As Vice-President, Employee and Labour Relations, he had accountability for all aspects of industrial, professional and construction labour relations, as well as the human resources operations and change management functions. He brings considerable collective bargaining and change management experience to this role.

Jon holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from Queen’s University, a Master of Industrial Relations (MIR) from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University. He is immediate past president of the Board of Directors of the Electrical Power System Construction Association (EPSCA) and has served as Chair of the Board of Directors for a non-profit Montessori school in Toronto.

Bill Smethurst

Chief Financial Officer and Vice President Business Optimization

Bill Smethurst joined VON Canada in January 2014 as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Business Optimization on a permanent basis following a year-long assignment with the organizat...read more

Bill Smethurst joined VON Canada in January 2014 as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Business Optimization on a permanent basis following a year-long assignment with the organization assisting with the restructuring efforts. Prior to this assignment, Bill worked as Chief Financial Officer for a number of public and private corporations in the biotechnology and technology industry, assisting with the development of business plans, restructuring initiatives and securing capital for the development programs.

Bill is involved with the community and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Streethaven at the Crossroads, a Toronto-based organization that offers group home facilities and services for women, in the capacity of Treasurer. Bill holds his CPA designation.

Accreditation

Accreditation Canada is an independent, not-for-profit organization that consults with experts to develop health care standards based on best practices. They accredit a wide range of health care and social services providers, including hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, clinics, and community health programs. Accreditation Canada has been helping providers improve health care quality and safety for more than 55 years.